The invention relates to fluid flow piston pressure regulators. More particularly, the invention relates to the regulation of an operating pressure of a flow of fluid from a source of fluid that is supplied at a pressure that is higher than a desired operating pressure, and in which a biased piston is used to open and close a high pressure supply port.
The broad concept of piston pressure regulators is well known and such regulators are widely used in a variety of applications. As such, various configurations of piston pressure regulators are known, include axial- and cross-flow regulators, for example. One of several common features of piston pressure regulators is that they use a biased piston to open and close a high pressure supply port according to the pressure of the operating or service fluid that is being regulated for use. Typically, a seal is set into a terminal end of a piston stem, so the seal will abut and close the high pressure supply port. Alternatively, the seal may be inset into a peripheral area of the high pressure supply port itself. Either way, fabricating a seat for the seal requires a production step that imposes a production cost. Further, assembly of the seal by seating the seal into the seat adds further to the production process and costs.